10 Reasons to Vote Against the Murray-Ryan Giant Spending and Deficit Increase

“New discretionary spending” would be increased by $26,300,000,000 this year, $21, 600,000,000 next year (fiscal year 2015), and $8,600,000,000 in fiscal year 2016. Thus, the total discretionary spending increases for three years is $56,500,000,000. This budget’s projections concerning spending in 2023 or any other out-year aren’t worth the paper they’re printed on.

Even the fake spending offsets are only $2.625 billion this year, $1.830 billion next year, and $2.026 billion in 2016 — for a total of $6.481 billion. But these are unenforceable, for reasons which will be discussed later.

But, even assuming their fake spending “offsets,” the net spending increase as a result of the Murray-Ryan bill will be slightly over $50 billion.

(2) IT INCREASES THE DEFICIT BY OVER $45 BILLION. PERIOD.

As a result of the spending increases above, the deficit would increase $23.226 billion in 2014, $18.154 billion in 2015, and $4.126 billion in 2016 — for a total deficit/debt increase of $45.506 billion.

(3) IT RAISES TAXES IN ORDER TO RAISE SPENDING. PERIOD.

The proposed budget raises a little over $4 billion in “fees” for the next three years. These tax increases mean they can increase discretionary spending a net of over $50 billion, but “only” increase the deficit by $45.506 billion.

Many of us have had problems with this Republican conceit that “user fees” are somehow not taxes. But, even for those who embrace “user fees,” the fact is that things like this bill’s “aviation security fees” are not required to be used — and will not be used — to increase “aviation security,” but rather to create a slush fund for more social spending.

(4) THE INCREASED SPENDING WILL BE SPENT ON DEMOCRATIC PRIORITIES WHICH WILL EXPLODE IN OUT-YEARS. PERIOD.

Supposedly, new discretionary spending will be over $55 billion in the next three years, but will drop to $2 billion in 2018, $600 million in 2019, and nothing after that.

To quote Speaker John Boehner: “ARE YOU KIDDING ME?????”

Massively expanding programs in the short term doesn’t create a rubric for those programs to disappear. It insures that they will grow even faster in the future. And that that $55 billion will be significantly increased in 2017 and beyond.

(5) THE MURRAY-RYAN BUDGET PURPORTS TO BE “FRUGAL” ONLY BECAUSE OF “OBAMACARE-STYLE ACCOUNTING.” PERIOD.

The spending “savings” supposedly come in 2022 and 2023, where “savings” supposedly account for over $47 billion, and all of the programs we’ve created with our $50 billion-plus in new discretionary spending for the next three years have supposedly ceased to exist.

But we’ve been to this movie before, right?

Spending now and pretending you will somehow be frugal in the future is fraud. Plain and simple.

How do Republicans expect the American public to believe them when they attack ObamaCare’s phony accounting if they vote for the same thing?

(6) A VOTE FOR THE MURRAY-RYAN BUDGET IS A VOTE TO FUND OBAMACARE, NO MATTER WHAT. PERIOD.

The pundits have made it quite explicit that the only real “accomplishment” of this deal is to make it impossible for the GOP to use the power of the purse to achieve policy changes. No matter what.

Incidentally, now that Barack Obama has found out that he can object to anything the Republicans include in an appropriations bill — and his friends in the press will blast the GOP unless it is taken out — they no longer have any leverage to do anything.

Make no mistake: The always-wrong Congressional Budget Office will “find” that repealing ObamaCare massively increases the federal deficit, making it impossible to do.

But the task will be made “more impossible” by the fact that section 114(d) includes two reserve funds: one to repeal the medical device tax and one to redefine the 30-hour “full time employee” definition. Thus, senators like Al Franken and Elizabeth Warren can promote their electoral prospects by taking political pressure off them from their high-tech states. And Obama can tweak the employer mandate, just as opposition to ObamaCare is reaching a critical mass.

(7) THE MURRAY-RYAN BUDGET WOULD REMOVE A POINT OF ORDER WHICH HAS BEEN USED TO OBJECT TO NEW SPENDING. PERIOD.

According to Budget Committee ranking Republican Jeff Sessions: “…this bill clearly and unequivocally undermines the ability of the Senate to maintain agreed-upon statutory spending limits. It legitimizes tax and spend.”

Specifically, the spending point of order which would be eliminated by Murray-Ryan was successfully used to kill spending bills in September, November, and December, 2012.

(8) FOR FOREIGN POLICY HAWKS, THE BILL WOULD SLASH MILITARY COLAS. PERIOD.

Military pensions would be cut by over $6 billion over 10 years. Is it hypocritical to suppose that Democrat-opposed cuts vanish in out-years, but Republican-opposed cuts live forever? Probably not.

(9) THE MURRAY-RYAN BUDGET WILL CHANGE THE NATIONAL DISCUSSION — TO IMMIGRATION REFORM, MINIMUM WAGE INCREASES, AND GUN CONTROL. PERIOD.

Some have this delusional notion that, once the deficit and spending are “off the table,” the press will resume attacking Obama over ObamaCare.

Have they even read the newspapers recently?

The press has reverted to its role of “ObamaCare promoter” and Obama cheering section. MSNBC has made it absolutely clear that the only synergistic impact of passing Murray-Ryan will be to renew impetus for immigration amnesty. Incidentally, the amnesty bills on the table would create a net 8,000,000 Democratic voters, and Republicans could give up the notion of ever winning the White House again.

(10) HARRY REID JUST DESTROYED THE SENATE AS AN INSTITUTION, AND SHOULD NOT BE REWARDED FOR HIS FRAUD. PERIOD.

He has treated Senate Republicans like a doormat. And, if they come to be held in universal contempt as timorous cowards, that could be one of the few issues which could stand in the way of their retaking the Senate in 2014.

There are now 15 Democratic Senate seats up in 2014 which are imminently doable. But the American people don’t like “losers” and they don’t like cowards. And, if this becomes the perception of Senate Republicans, it could prevent them from taking over the chamber in 2015.